Good news lately…

I can finally announce that I've been at work on a new picture book! It will be published by NordSüd Verlag, the wonderful Swiss publishing house (Lisbeth Zwerger, Oliver Jeffers and Natascha Rosenberg are amongst the artists who regularly work for them).  North South Books (their American imprint) will also publish it— so it will be available in both English and German! Simultaneously!!

Publishers Weekly Childrens Bookshelf announced the news last week—

Though the announcement says that I'm unagented (I did negotiate this deal on my own), I am now being represented by the fabulous literary agent, Jen Rofé (of ABLA— Andrea Brown Literary Agency). They represent so many wonderful writers and artists in the realm of children's literature… I'm pleased as punch to be among them…

So if I am more quiet than usual on this blog, it is because somebody or other is cracking the whip and I am galloping full speed to keep up!

PS. I also answered a few questions on Joanna Marple's great kidlit blog recently.  Go and take a look...

IBBY Congress, Museo Franz Mayer, and crocodiles

My crocodiles have been getting around lately... they travel much more than I do! This time they were spotted in Mexico City, at the Museo Franz Mayer (home of the largest collection of decorative arts in all of Latin America!).  I am thrilled to bits...

As you can see by the poster, it was an exhibit of the winning artwork from the Nami Island Illustration Concours (where Crocodile Shoes won an honorable mention in 2013, as you may recall). Nami Island, the sponsor of the Andersen Awards, holds this competition every two years. There is an annual and an exhibit which first opens in Korea, then goes on tour around the world — ending up wherever the IBBY Congress is held, I think.

As you can also see by the poster, the exhibit closed over a month ago. But for those of us who didn't get a chance to catch it, here are a few items to give a sense of it.  

First,  some photos from the gallery:

Hey...that's me!

The museum also hosted another children's illustration show at the same time,  Dibujando El Mundo.

It featured many of my illustration heroes — Kveta Pacovska, Shaun Tan, Sara Fanelli, Javier Zabala, Isol and many others. 

Between the museum's lovely ambience and the art on display, I really wish I could have been there! 

Both of the illustration shows were timed to coincide with the IBBY Congress — a bi-annual shindig bringing together all kinds of people from the world of children's books. It's held in countries all over the world, a different one each time.  I would so love to go one day! (The next one's in New Zealand, in 2016... plenty of time to save up!)

IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young Readers) is a fantastic organization — an NGO, in fact, with official status in UNICEF and UNESCO. With chapters in 72 countries worldwide, IBBY plays a role in policy-making regarding children's books, as well as recognizing and awarding excellence, playing a crucial part in the Bologna Children's Book Fair since its inception.

I've been reading this book about Jella Lepman — the gutsy, outspoken, imaginative woman who founded both IBBY and the International Youth Library in Munich, a wonderful place from the sounds of it. 

A Bridge of Children's Books well worth a read.  At the request of the American government, she returned to her native Germany after having fled the Nazis nine years previously. Arriving in 1945 just after the shooting had stopped, the grim rubble of postwar Europe she describes (not unlike The Third Man) is where she did her work of helping children starved for stories and hope. What she started is still thriving today! You can read more about that here, if you can't find the book...

Lastly, this year's Nami Concours is in progress— here's the shortlist of illustrators for the final round. So happy to see friends and acquaintances included here... well done, everybody!

PS. A shout out to Ana Aranda who took the photos in Mexico City — she's a wonderful illustrator I met at the SCBWI Conference, where she won the Mentorship Award for her excellent portfolio.  Merci, Ana!!

SCBWI Bulletin

I'm very proud to have my illustration on the cover of the current SCBWI Bulletin (January/ February 2014). As always, the requirement is to include within the illustration an image of a kite — the logo of the SCBWI. 

I did a lot of searching and had a lot of different ideas (including giant children in Paris, and even an octopus flying eight kites at once). But once I saw the image of a butterfly-shaped kite, it was suddenly obvious to me that a caterpillar should be flying it. Perfect! Transformation, inspiration and imagination are what children's books are all about!! Now all I have to do is pull it off...

I sent along a few variations of this idea to SCBWI, and we all agreed on the one on the left so I then got to work. After refining the composition and characters, I did a number of color studies, like so:

Once the colors are decided, I can go on to the next steps. My illustrations are done in mixed media, with both hand-painted elements and collage in varying amounts (depending on the subject and on the amount of time). Some collage elements are prepared in advance according to the chosen color scheme, while others are happy accidents. This is true whether I collage with paper ephemera...

...or with monoprints that I make myself— here's a peek at a set of photos showing printmaking in progress.

Once I've printed the monoprint sheets in the colors that I'll be using, then I begin cutting and gluing.  I usually start with the background—

And then I create the characters and foreground elements.  Here's our hero...

...and his faithful sidekick:

As you can see, the individual elements that make up a character (limbs, shoes, clothes, face, hair...) are created separately then assembled. I paint some of the details with acrylics and, after I've glued them all together, I go over it again with an oil glaze to add a bit of dimension and oomph. Sometimes I scratch back in — sgraffito — or even sandpaper it, until it resembles what I have in my mind's eye as much as possible.  Needless to say, it's not an exact science...

Finally, referring to my color study, I assemble the composition as a whole — first gluing the background elements then the foreground ones. In this particular illustration, there was a lot of foreground foliage which framed the image. Some were collaged, and some painted in india ink.  Here's the finished piece:

Voilà!!

PS.  If you're a SCBWI member, you can view the Bulletin online right here. It even includes an interview with yours truly in it!

3x3 Picture Book Show

I seem to be on a roll lately.  First the SCBWI Grand Prize, and now this:

3x3 magazine has decided to include my work in their upcoming Picture Book Annual.  Again!!  A set of five illustrations from my book "Crocodile Shoes" received a Merit award (in the category of Children's Book, unpublished) --above is a little vignette from it. If you'd like to see a few more images from it, click here.

I am thrilled to be included among such wonderful illustrators from all over the world— some very familiar artists, as well as new discoveries whose work I am eager to see.  The annual should be available in a few months time...I am really looking forward to it.

Thanks very much to the judges and to Charles Hively.  And now... I've got to go do some dancin' in the streets!

SCBWI Portfolio Showcase Award!!!

My blog and I are still in summer mode, but I want to poke my head in to say hello....

...and to make a happy announcement: my portfolio won the Grand Prize at the SCBWI* Conference (held in Los Angeles every August). WOW, talk about an unexpected turn of events!!

It is of course a massive honour — and the prize is an all-expense paid trip to New York City, as well as an "Open Sesame" to publishing houses for children's books.  I can't wait!! More on all of this later, of course.

Here is that winning portfolio (btw, it wasn't easy to find a "landscape" oriented portfolio of just the right dimensions—thanks to Juana** for all the great advice!).  It contained 17 images, many of which can be seen on my website, while others have yet to be uploaded... stay tuned!  I also showed a full-colour dummy of Crocodile Shoes (which I both illustrated and wrote). Some images are here and here.

The Portfolio Showcase was held in a huge pavilion/ballroom at the Hyatt in Century City, with hundreds and hundreds of portfolios (and book dummies) all laid out on rows of tables.  A lot of people came to look, as you can see...

A lot of talent under one roof!

Here I am, beaming.

More soon.  Thank you again, SCBWI —I am so delighted!!!

PS.  For my readers in Europe and elsewhere: *SCBWI = "Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators".  This organization has chapters all over the world, hosts many interesting events and is regularly present at the Bologna Book Fair. Just sayin'.

PPS. **Juana Martinez Neal is a fantastic illustrator from Arizona by way of Peru.  She was awarded the SCBWI Grand Prize for her portfolio in 2012... and just recently, she did a wonderful cover for the SCBWI Bulletin.  Check her out!

Nami Island International Illustration Concours

Good news — my illustrated book project has been selected for the Nambook Festival (aka Nami Island International Illustration Concours) !!  It has to stay under wraps at present, but I can still show you a few glimpses from my selected project.  You'll get a flavour of what I've been up to lately, even though it's out of context.

The Nambook Festival is a yearly children's book event in South Korea, about 70 km south of Seoul on an beautiful tranquil island with groves of giant redwood trees.  Nambook is affiliated with IBBY (the International Board on Books for Young people), as well as being an official sponsor of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards.... presented to the winners each year at the Bologna Book Fair.

The list of winners is pretty impressive—an array of international talent that includes many illustrators who have also been selected for Bologna, Bratislava, 3x3, Ilustrarte, Sàrmede and other places where children's book illustrations are recognized and celebrated.  The grand prix went to the wonderful Korean illustrator Sung-Hee Kim.  A few of the other names that jumped out are:  David Pintor, Eva Montanari, Sonja Danowska, Rashin Kheiriyeh and Irma Gruenholz. And so many others... I'm looking forward to discovering their work!

The illustration exhibit at Nami Island takes place from 25 April to 31 May.  There will be a catalogue/annual of the art show as well.  And if any of you are going to Bologna for the book fair (from 25 to 28 March, in two short weeks from now!), the Nambook Festival has a stand (A36 / H29). Stop by and say hi!

UPDATE:  For those of you going to the Bologna Book Fair, the Nami Illustration Concours will give a brief presentation at the Author's Café on Wednesday 27 March at 16:30 — jury members and illustrators will be on hand for a show-and-tell session. Wish I could be there, too...

Tales from Russia

I'm very pleased to announce that my artwork has been selected for Sàrmede's Le Immagini della Fantasia exhibit.  The theme this time is "Tales from Russia"— a topic and visual culture that I find especially inspiring.  I chose to illustrate a scene from The Firebird.

The exhibit is a fantastic gathering of talent from around the world —over 350 illustrations by a real dream team* of illustrators! Needless to say, I'm very honoured to be included among them. A big grazie to Monica Monachesi for extending the invitation.

This year's edition of Le immagini della Fantasia is not only the 30th anniversary, but also the grand opening of the long-awaited Casa della Fantasia, a new building which will house the exhibit space and art workshops. So expect even more celebrations and activities than usual — including readings, workshops, and meetings with the artists including Roberto Innocenti, this year's guest of honour.

The exhibit opens on 27 October and runs through to 27 January 2013, after which it will go on tour in Italy and across Europe and beyond. It's well worth a visit — I would go if I could.  Check the site for address and hours... highly recommended!

PS.  *Dream team includes:  Beatrice Alemagna, Joëlle Jolivet, Javier Zabala, Violeta Lopiz, Simone Rea, Morteza Zahedi and many many others, all of them fabulous...

3x3 Children's Show

I've been in summer mode lately, but I just had to pop in today to tell you my news: I just found out that my artwork has been selected for the 3x3 magazine's Children's Show. And not only that, but it was also singled out for Distinguished Merit in its category! It goes without saying that I am stunned, and completely delighted.

The image is one that you may already be familiar with: it was created for Tales of India, and took part in the exhibit Le Immagini della Fantasia of Sàrmede (still touring in Europe).

The annual, No. 9, will be coming out later in the year... I will give you a heads-up when it does. Congratulations to the winners (check out the list, here)— I am really honoured to be in such good company. And many thanks to the jury!

Oblong is in!

Here's a book that I have been enjoying lately (a gift from Hazel, better known as Ms. Artroom Plant):  The Emperor's Oblong Pancake, written by Peter Hughes in 1961.

The illustrations are by the inimitable Gerald Rose.  I didn't know his work before, but it turns out he is a prolific illustrator,  winner of the Kate Greenaway medal, and beloved by generations of British children. Shows how much I know! His book The Tigerskin Rug is such a classic that it has recently been re-published by Bloomsbury. I just love his quirky and fresh line, full of charm and energy and humour.

The story is an ode to stubbornness.  It is about an emperor who, one day — on a whim — commands that everything in his kingdom be oblong. Every other shape is banished!

And thus we end up with oblong eggs, oblong apples, oblong bathtubs, even oblong wheels (a bit troublesome, that).  Problems arise, of course. After many failed attempts to solve them, the emperor himself rides off in search of an answer — and returns with the discovery that the world itself is round.  Who knew? And of course he decrees that -- guess what?— everything in his kingdom must now be round, too....

...except maybe his breakfast pancakes.

Now that I've worked up an appetite for crêpes carrées, I will leave you with some recent finds:

• Chiara Armellini, especially here and here.
• Benoit Tardif of Montréal— prints, posters and book covers.
• Terrifying French Children's Books — article is inaccurrate on many counts but v. funny... check out the slide show.

In which we chat about books

Not long ago, I received a surprise in my mailbox, sent by lovely Sara Morão of the Ilustrarte Biennale.  

They are the wonderful catalogs from the last two exhibits (mentioned previously). 

Although it's difficult to choose just a few, I wanted to show you some of the images from these books that I have been lingering over...

Here's a detail of a collage by Yana Levieva of Bulgaria, about whom there is very little on the internet .

But she does appear to design postage stamps from time to time.  

(So perhaps she is like the mysterious character in Griffin and Sabine?)

This vivid collage is by Bernardo Carvalho, of Portugal.  

I have long been an admirer of his work, and that of Planeta Tangerina, the publishing house which he co-founded.

Laia Domènech Castillo from Barcelona did these beautiful watercolor illustrations.

They were for her unpublished"O Jardim de Carlos".

These images in mixed media are from "The Red Hat" by Hassan Amekan.  

I was already familiar with his illustrations, they have been selected for honour both at Bologna and at Bratislava.

Last but far from least, Anne Herbauts of Belgium: her work (much of which is done for Casterman) is poetic and innovative, and I look forward to every one of her books! 

See this interview (in French) to hear how she approaches her books:  everything is between one page and another...

Voilà!  These books — and a few others too — have been providing me with a few shimmers of light and warmth, helping me find my way forward inch by inch. Books help a lot!  If by chance any of you have any good books to recommend, do let me know.  I am a bit of an omnivore in my reading habits but just to give you an idea, lately I've been reading and loving The Wild Places (Robert MacFarlane), Dear Genius (the letters of Ursula Nordstrom), Case Histories (Kate Atkinson's whydunnit). Also re-re-re-reading Jane Eyre!

So send your ideas.... and in the meantime, click and look:

•Beatriz Martin -- I'd seen her work at Sàrmede already, happy to discover more of it

•Lydia Crooks -- wispy and poetic paper concoctions

•Boguslaw Sliwinski — ceramics that made me smile

Back from Montreuil

                                                  

I know it's been a bit quiet here lately at the Secret Blog™, but (as I do every year) I've been over in Montreuil at the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse.

I will tell you all about it soon. Patience, young grasshoppers.

A très très bientôt...

Ilustrarte

I can now finally reveal these illustrations, which were my participation in this year's Ilustrarte Biennale.

I wanted to make this announcement a few weeks ago, to coincide with Ilustrarte's posting the news of the winners and selections for the exhibition. But then it transpired that my illustrations had vanished into the ether—for over four weeks, nobody knew what had become of them!

Which in turn precipitated a state of DEFCON3 and a flurry of agitated activity to recover them. 
Ça m'a mis dans tout mes états!

But:  HAPPY ENDING!

Lo and behold, yesterday my images were uncovered, mysteriously returned from their month-long sojourn in the 17th dimension. Welcome back!!!

Anyway, congratulations to all the selected illustrators, and a special complimenti to Valerio Vidali and Simone Rea.  And also to the other participants—this list includes such a lot of wonderful artists, it must have been very difficult to choose just 50.  

The exhibit will open in January 2012, in Lisbon, and from there it will go to Ghent (where I hope to see it) and elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this!

PS.  Merci, les filles, for your sympathy and support...

Immagini della fantasia

Le immagini della fantasia—the 29th annual exhibit of children's book illustration—is now in full swing.  I am happy to say that I was able to go to Sàrmede to attend the opening.



The guest of honour this year is Linda Wolfsgruber —who is also the creator of the poster above. Indeed,  there was a mini-retrospective of her work within the overall exhibition, from her earliest picture books to her more recent prints. It was a real treat to see the originals, they are stunning and luminous.

Altogether, over 300 images are on display, by illustrators from all over the world.  Some of the illustrations can be seen here and here.  The theme this year, as you can see, is Tales from India.



These 300+ images also had work from students and newcomers to the world of children's books, including me.  My illustration (mentioned previously) can be seen in the photo below.  Click here for a closer look at it and other work from newcomers.



All in all, a very good crowd turned out to attend not only the opening but a whole weekend of workshops, entertainments, encounters (including a very thought-provoking panel discussion with half a dozen of the artists), and other events.

Some of the illustrators who were able to make it to the opening weekend included: Simone Rea, Guido Scarabottolo, AnnaLaura Cantone, Alessandra Vitelli, Gabriele Clima and of course Linda — among many others.  Rock stars! ;-) I was also happy to catch up with friends and class-mates whose work was selected in this exhibit, notably Rossana Bossu, Laura Borras, Olga Tranchini and Francesca Zoboli. Good to see all of you...

The exhibit will be in Sàrmede until 15 January, and after that it goes on tour. The details will be on the website, but in general it goes first to other cities in Italy (Rome, Florence, Naples, Bologna for the book fair) and then all over Europe (Barcelona, Vienna, Paris, Stuttgart...) — and beyond (Florida and Istanbul)!!

Catch it if you can — highly recommended (even if I do say so myself!).

PS.  See here for more pics of the opening, and here for a few more views of Sàrmede.